Defenders of the Dyle Clan
by BoredWriter22
Summary: The Dyle Clan has major plans during the Moon Festival Holy Grail War, and needs a united defense as much as it needs a united front. Jirou and his subordinates are that united defense. One of Jirou's soldiers, Akiyama Hiraku, is ready to go over and beyond his limits for his clan. Based on BlazingAzureCrow's characters and setting in Fate/Solar Shadow


Jirou, head of the Dyle clan's defense, strode forward, his long stride covering ground quickly. His expression was stern as he walked down the rough path of the cave. His left arm rested on the hilt of his short Japanese blade. A wingless dragonoid creature the size of a horse, it's scales navy blue and a singular horn between its eyes and nose, followed close behind, snarling.

The corridor opened up to a larger cavern, lit by floating balls of light. Five of his comrades in the Dyle clan stood up from what they were doing and stood at attention. All of them wore different stylish kimonos over simple gray shirts and blue sashes. On their legs were black hakamas. Sandals were strapped to their feet. Jirou looked them over, inspecting their equipment to make sure it was up to standard. When he was satisfied they were, he took up position in front of them. The dragonoid creature stood by the entrance of the cave.

Jirou looked all of his fellow Dyle clan members in the eye before speaking. "The Grail War has officially begun as of two hours ago. We have been informed that a fight has occurred already, making the three masters of the seven retreat for the night. We have information pertaining that the Masters of Lancer and Assassin are working together, as they were seen battling the Berserker Servant together. Dawn is in three hours. That will be the time where we transport all the remaining resources to the Blasting Tower that Yuuno has been preparing for. You five will be guarding the caravan that brings the central core of the main firing coil to the site east of Giornico. They will be coming north on the road and will drive south from Giornico and before moving northwest to the hills that overlook most of the towns in the district. It will be just southwest of the church, on the tallest hill. You leave in twenty minutes, travelling by truck. Expect trouble, so stay on guard. When you arrive on site, Yuuno's own forces will take it from there, and you will return immediately here. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!" the five students responded loudly.

* * *

Hiraku sat on the back of the truck. He jostled in place of as the vehicle rumbled on the road. Beside him was a large cylinder with a copper ball in the middle. His kimono was practically a work of art, with light gray shades on the shoulders, with pitch black mountain reaching up to his torso. Light blue waterfalls well to the darker blue lake at the bottom of the kimono. His brown hair was tied in a ponytail, his bangs covering his forehead. Laying on the truck bed on his left was his katana.

One of his comrades, Souta, was laying on the other side of him, his legs dangling off the back of the truck bed, staring at the moonlit sky. He was older than Hiraku by a few years. He was bald on the top of his head, though he had a longer hair along the side and back of his head tied in a ponytail. His kimono was bright pink with stylistic scarlet red and orange flowers all over it. A long piece of straw was in his mouth, occasionally flicking in the wind and brushing against his thin mustache. Resting on his chest was his katana and wakizashi.

"Think it'll rain?" Hiraku asked, watching the road behind them.

"Maybe," Souta murmured, chewing the grass in his mouth. "I don't mind the rain. It's peaceful. But, it might make trekking more treacherous for the truck on the hills if Tsubasa isn't careful." Hiraku could only imagine the swearing the older Dyle clan member would be mumbling furiously under his breath if it rained harder as he drove. "What do you think, Narumi?" Souta called lazily. "Do you wonder if it'll rain? Wonder if the old man will lose his cool?"

Standing next to the cylinder was a woman around the same age as Souta, maybe older. Her kimono was also bright pink, though it had purple vine patterns to it. Narumi had flowing black hair that was tied in two ponytails, one over the other, and braids on the side of her head. Her bangs extended past the left side of her face. In her hands was a longbow with an arrow knocked on it. On Narumi's person were two quivers, one on the right of her hip with twenty arrows in it, and one on the small of her back with ten arrows. Sheathed to the left waist was a wakizashi.

She glanced up at the sky briefly before going back to scanning the surrounding area. "Just a few minor showers. The old man won't get angry. But you should stop worrying about him and stand at attention, Souta. We're at war."

"I don't have a bow," Souta told her. "What do you expect me to do? Throw my swords at them?"

"Yeah, that's your thing, isn't it?" Narumi looked him, an eyebrow raised.

"Not the same range as your bow, idiot," the bald swordsman sighed dejectedly.

"Don't tell me you're this bored," Hiraku said next to him. "Aren't you the least bit nervous?"

"Not really. Don't get me wrong, the war sounds exciting enough. Yuuno's division reported demons in the district, as well as clockwork machinations in the area. But once everything kicks off, there will be no time for reflection, only the violence."

"Don't confuse laziness with peace," the archer told him. "Hey, is there any police checkpoints in this area?"

A confused look flashed across Souta's face. "Checkpoints?" He sat up and got to his feet, almost falling down when the truck rocked on a steep bump. Hiraku crouched next to Souta who muttered "Shit, it's the Merry Men. Thugs with guns. Weapons down." Hiraku peered down the road. Two hundred meters ahead were two cars and a truck. A few figures, hardly visible/ toting guns were walking about them. They seemed to notice the approaching truck and beckoned to them. Narumi placed her bow on the bed and stood up.

"Hiraku," she said loudly. "Wait for Aimi and Souta to make the first move."

As they got closer, a small mob of the figures started forward. Hiraku counted close to a dozen of them. From the looks of them, most of them had blunt objects in their hands. A few carried small arms, while one rather brutish man carried a rifle. They all wore cheap suits that were black or gray colored. The Merry Men formed a half circle around the truck, checking every detail they could before some of the men edged closer, wary of the weapons the Dyle men and women had.

"Barty," one of the Merrymen whispered loudly. "These guys ain't lookin' like the locals. It looks like they on their way to the circus." Hiraku saw Souta's ears perk up at that.

"Fuckin' maybe," another thug whispered back. This man had a revolver. He approached the driver seat and tapped on the window with the barrel of the gun. He beckoned for the driver to get out. The door opened and the driver got out.

Tsubasa was a tall, old man. Instead of a stylistic kimono and hakama like the others wore, he wore a double breasted black coat with silver buttons that went to his waist. He had a full head of graying hair that was tied in a ponytail. His face was hard and furrowed, and he had a long, thin mustache and goatee. In his hands was an nodachi.

The Merry Men only seemed to think he was the only person in the cabin. _Great job, Aimi_.

One of the Merry Men raised his pistol. "Weapon!"

Acting quickly, Souta stood up. "Wait! He does not speak English!" he shouted in forced, broken English. Hiraku saw that Souta had left his katana where it had been, but he did not see his wakizashi. He noticed that the katana was left out of its scabbard.

"God damn it, put your fucking weapon down," Barty the Merry Man shouted, forcing his companions arm down. He turned to Souta, who was holding up his hands in a scared fashion. He approached the Merry Man with a shake in his arms.

"He does not speak English," Souta repeated in the same broken tone. "Only Japanese. Very old."

"Are you a translator?" Barty demanded.

Souta nodded his head enthusiastically. "Yes, I talk for group. We are circus performers for circus. Please, I tell him to put sword away. Back in truck."

Barty glanced to the old man, who had a blank expression on his face, and seemed to think a moment. He looked to Souta and nodded. "Tell him to put it in the truck," he said very slowly, as if to make himself sound more understandable. "And then close the door."

Souta turned to Tsubasa and spoke quickly in Japanese. _Play along, okay? I'll get the drop on this idiot. Let Aimi out_.

The older man shrugged and opened the door wide. He took extra time carefully resting it in an upright position in the center of the seat. To the Merry Men, he seemed to have a hard time adjusting the tall sword to fit where he wanted to, and was muttering under his breath angrily.

When he was done, he closed the truck door and backed away, hands raised. A few of the Merry Men relaxed, which Hiraku knew was a mistake.

"Where are all of you going?" Barty demanded.

"We get lost," Souta lied. "We went too far north, circus is far south."

"Which circus?"

"Mystical Eastern Oran… Ori-ish-nal… Or-i-en-tal Tra-vel-ing Band." The Dyle warrior pretended to stumble over the words. He smiled broadly as if he were proud to say it.

"What town?"

"Biasca." Souta pointed south with his left hand.

The Merry Man glanced behind him, his final mistake.

Souta's right hand flashed into the folds of his kimono, whipping out his wakizashi and slashing at Barty's neck in one solid movement. Barty's head fell free from his neck, blood spraying from where it had been. Wasting no movement, Souta threw his sword at the nearest Merry Man. It impaled the thug's abdomen, sinking all the way to the hilt. He cried out in pain, while the other Merry Men took a moment to register what happened, too startled to comprehend what they were seeing.

Hiraku moved fast, kicking Souta's katana through the air at its owner. Souta caught it with smile just as a few of the Merry Men raised their guns. Just as they fired, Souta vanished in a cloud of darkness, and reappeared several yards away, his hand on his wakizashi. The surprised man had no time to defend himself as Souta ripped out his short sword and cut him down with his katana.

The other Dyle members moved just as quick, trying to deal with as many of the gunmen as they could.

Most of the Merry Men with guns had been towards the front of the car. Lightning flashed around Tsubasa's body as he dashed forward between them. Electricity built up in his palms and he shot it out of either side of him in a whip-crack of thunder. The Merry Men went sailing for several yards. Only one managed to grab his gun and fire it at Tsubasa. The bullet whizzed past the monk, who charged at the gunman quickly and buried his fist into that man's skull. He heard something in the Merry Man's neck break.

Several meters away, the thug with a rifle raised his weapon, aimed squarely at Tsubasa.

Suddenly, his gun was sent spiralling out of his hand. A woman appeared in front of him, recovering her stance after kicking the gun out of the man's hands.

Aimi wore a dark green kimono with gray splotches depicting birds flying on it. Her hair was in a tight bun. Her eyes were as hard as her angered expression. In her hands were two sai.

She lunged, aiming for the Merry Man's head. He deftly backed up, smacking her hand away. Her other hand flashed forward, her blunt ended sai breaking a rib on impact with his chest. He doubled over, wheezing. Aimi spun and delivered a sharp round-house kick to his jaw, sending the man reeling. She spun her sai on her fingers and jammed them as hard as she could down into the back of the man's knees. The blunt tips broke through the skin and muscles and shattered the man's knees. He screamed for a moment before Aimi snapped his neck savagely.

On the truck, Narumi raised her bow and loosed six arrows in under a single breath. She charged the first arrow with magical energy and loosed it at the only Merry Man with a pistol. It caught him in the shoulder, a black essense covered his eyes. Her second and third arrows buried themselves in the throat of another Merryman. His eyes rolled up and he fell to the ground, convulsing and choking on his own blood.

Narumi's fourth and fifth arrows shot at different targets next to each other, but as they went through them, they flashed towards the other arrows nearby targets. The two went down, not knowing what ever happened to them.

Her final arrow, charged with power, impaled the dirt between two other Merry Men and detonated in a shockwave, shoving them to the ground. One of them flicked his hand, and a gun flew from his sleeve into his palm. He fired three bad shots as he got to his feet, though one grazed her arm and another pierced into her leg. Narumi cried out and fell forward, but she caught herself by rolled on the dirt. Another shot from the Merry Man punched into the vehicle. Narumi ignored the pain in her leg as she knocked another arrow, charging it with more magical energy before loosing it. It pierced through the gun and the Merry Man's head, who fell soundlessly to the grass.

Hiraku jumped down to the dirt road, hand on his katana hilt. Three Merry Men had checked the back, two holding truncheons while another held a short sword. Hiraku drew his katana and beckoned for them to charge.

Behind Hiraku, they saw Narumi kneeling on the ground, bleeding profusely. The one with the shortsword charged. Hiraku parried his blow and slashed at his wrist, cutting a deep wound into his arm. The Merry Man snarled and lunged. Hiraku tried to deflect it, but the blade made it past his guard and it slashed his arm. The Dyle swordsman retaliated by slashing across the man's face. He screamed and fell back, swearing.

The other two Merry Men charged to attempt to overwhelm him. One raised his truncheon as Hiraku's sword flashed, severing his arm at the elbow. The Merry Man screamed and backed away. The last Merry Man jammed his truncheon into Hiraku's stomach. The swordsman doubled over, but he followed the movement and rolled forward before the club-like weapon _whooshed _over where his head had been.

As Hiraku rolled onto his feet, he saw the first had recovered from the attack on him. Before he raised his weapon again, Hiraku flipped a sharp dart from his kimono and threw it. The dart embedded itself in the man's throat. The Merry Man struggled to stay on his feet as Hiraku ran past him. He bolted ahead of the two, muttering a spell as he did. When the incantation was done, he turned and threw a dart with all his might. In the air, dozens of other darts appeared and sliced through the air with the original. They pierced and cut through the two Merry Men.

Only one Merry Man remained on his feet, stumbling in the grass. It was the one with the sword, which he still gripped in his hand. Multiple darts vanished from his body, blood flooding down his body. The man with the severed arm was on the ground, unmoving.

Hiraku walked up to the living Merry Man and slammed the sword out of his hand. He grabbed him by the collar and dragged the dazed thug to the driver's side of the truck and threw him to the dirt. He cleaned his blade and sheathed it back into its scabbard as the others made their way over.

Souta, covered head to toe in blood, knelt down and grabbed the man's collar. "Where is Jack Blackwood?"

The Merry Man blinked slowly and shook his head. "Fuck off," he croaked. "I'll die before I rat out the boss." He tried to spit in Souta's face, but only succeeded in drooling more blood instead. He groaned and shook his head.

Aimi stepped forward. "I know a few ways to get him to-"

A gunshot echoed the early morning, and Aimi's chest exploded outward. She fell forward silently, dead before she hit the ground. The others turned around towards the blockade, where a figure on top of one of the cars was kneeling. They could see that he had a long rifle in his hands.

"Go!" Tsubasa shouted.

The four scattered, running at the blockade fifty meters away.

The sniper's shot whizzed by Hiraku's head. The second second shot burst through his right arm. He cried out and tumbled in the dirt. He gasped for breath, watching his comrades run. Another shot echoed out, and he saw Narumi fall. Tsubasa seemed to conjure a bolt of lightning in his hands and unleash it on the car, knocking the sniper off.

Souta kept charging and chased the sniper around the vehicle.

Hiraku heard another gunshot, and then the morning went still. The swordsman got to his feet, seeing Narumi doing the same. She was coming towards him, a worried look on her face. "You okay, Hiraku? I saw you fall, I thought he got you."

"He got my arm. Hurts like hell. I saw you fall too, where were you hit."

"He didn't," the archer told him. "It went right by me, but it surprised me and I tripped. Did you see what happened to Aimi?"

Lowering his head, Hiraku nodded. He glanced back, seeing her body sprawled on the ground.

Next to her, the Merry Man was chuckling to himself.

Narumi unslung her bow from her shoulder, nocked an arrow, and released it with a grunt. The arrow sank into the man's head, and he went limp.

Soon, they were joined by the other two. Souta nodded to Hiraku. Tsubasa leaned over and gently picked up the fallen Dyle clan member's body and placed it on the truck, next to the cylinder. He tucked the sai back into her holsters and laid her hands over her chest. "Souta, I am making it your responsibility to make sure her body returns home, but the mission comes first."

"Yes, sir," Souta responded. He shrugged off his kimono and wrapped it around Aimi's body. Narumi retrieved her arrows that weren't broken and resumed her position.

"Hiraku, you're with me," Tsubasa told him. "We have a duty to fill out. Let's get it done."

The younger swordsman nodded and got in the truck. They pulled through the checkpoint and continued on their way.

Behind them, a woman with soft, beautiful features appeared in a shower of pink sparks. She stood next to the motionless man with the severed arm. She stood for several moments before he coughed and looked up to her. "I'm alive?"

"You were on the threshold," she told him in a sensual voice. "But you are strong."

The Merry Man looked to his severed arm. "Holy shit," he muttered, putting his hand on the stump where his forearm used to be. "Did you save me?"

"No," the woman she put bluntly. "I believe my presence is giving you something to focus on. Maybe it is healing you without my meaning to. Either way, you are alive, so I suppose you need to speak with Jack about this." She pointed to the checkpoint of cars. "If you make it back to Biasca, I'm sure Jack will reward you handsomely. Who knows, my Master may even help you with that," she added, indicating his arm.

"Th-thank you, Rider."

The woman raised an eyebrow and began to dematerialize. "No need to thank me. After all, you may bleed out before you even make it to Giornico." She vanished without a trace. Pain racked the man's body. He stood up and trudged towards the car.

He thought of the man who attacked him, his stern expression un-changing. "I will kill you, asshole," he whispered to himself.


End file.
